This is my Statement of Purpose...I can generally write with pretty good style and grammar, so I'm more hoping for advice on the general focus of my statement. The program I'm going for is top 3 in the nation, so I really have to get this right.
Does this strike a good balance between showing my achievements and unabashedly bragging? Should I go deeper into my achievements to make myself look as much like an expert as possible? Does it come off as unique? Is it focused enough, or is it too scattered? Thanks to all.
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"Ha!" Abdi chuckled at me. "Once the clients start invading your dreams, that's when you really know you've got the bug." I smiled back at my co-worker. For the past several weeks, I had been woken by dreams about Frank, my completely non-verbal and dangerously volatile client at Alpha Supported Living Services. Frank is diagnosed with an expressive language disorder, moderate mental retardation, and intermittent explosive disorder (a rather intimidating disorder even when referring to someone other than a 6'2" man). Frank does not speak. In the six months or so I had been working with him, I had slowly begun to learn his language of pointing, trenchant gazes and, when I'm lucky, the smallest of quiet smiles. It's a tough language, though, and when I fail to understand what Frank wants, I can be met with an hour or more of ground-shaking adult tantrums. I became so invested in perfecting our rapport that it was little surprise when I started having a series of dreams, almost like episodes of a detective show, in which I would crack the code to Frank's communication and he would suddenly start chatting away in Spanish, ASL, or some invented language from deep in my dream-world.
I have been at Alpha since January 2012, working with Frank and clients with varied combinations of autism and behavioral, intellectual, and articulation disorders. Each presents unique challenges, as well as unique joys at the little successes like using a new full sentence for the first time, or remembering my name and being rewarded with a high five. However long or untraditional the path may be, we find a path to communication. And though I do not plan to be a caregiver with Alpha for the rest of my life, I do fully intend on using the decades to come to play a positive, facilitating role in the lives of people struggling to understand others and to be understood themselves.
Really, I caught the 'bug' several years beforehand. I chose to postpone college for a year of travel abroad, with most of the time spent volunteering with children in Honduras and Kenya. Some were from impoverished families, some were orphans, some had developmental disabilities, and none of them spoke English. Without any directive lead from my volunteer program, I had to make use of other languages, gestures, and drawing to communicate even the simplest of ideas. My patience and improvisational skills were put to the test during the course of this year, and I was exposed to a world of imaginative communication so far from what I had previously taken for granted.
With this inspiration, I began college with courses in Psychology and Linguistics and eventually stumbled upon the field of speech-language pathology, soon adding a major in Speech and Hearing Sciences to my existing Psychology major. My growing interest in developmental and communication disabilities, as well as a new and unexpected passion for neurophysiology, led me to undergraduate research under Dr. Raphael Bernier in the _(school)__ Autism Center and, currently, with Dr. Ludo Max in the Lab for Speech Motor Control as a part of the SPHSC Departmental Honors path. This has allowed me a precious peek into not only the world of research at a cutting-edge university, but also the world of the many families who struggle daily with their child's communication or learning obstacles. And my hours spent in the clinical setting, observing speech-language pathologists expertly handle both the child's disability and the many concerns of family members, give me a profound respect for the work these professionals do. I see them alleviate very real pain from these families, and it helps me realize the kind of influence I want to have on the world.
Focusing this passion into real-world, clinical applications is what I am faced with next. I was able to complete an elementary-school-based audiology practicum this month (September), as directed under Dr. Richard Folsom. In addition to solidifying my preference for speech-language pathology over audiology, this practicum has also sparked a strong interest in the field of school-based therapy. If I am accepted into the CoreSLP program, I hope to eventually practice in schools, where I will get the opportunity to meet a wide array of children who may not have the resources or the severity of impairment to be seen in a private practice or medical setting. As a near-fluent Spanish speaker, I am also hopeful that my skills may be transferrable to non-English speaking children in helping to provide them with effective treatment. My two major points of focus are autism and fluency cases, and this will be reflected in my work as a graduate student; I am interested in continuing with Dr. Max to pursue a Master's thesis in speech motor control.
I am proud to say I have caught the 'bug' of working with communication disabilities, and I know it will be with me for years to come. I am confident that the motivation, passion, and creativity that have led to my success as an undergraduate student at the University of __(school)__ will carry me on to further achievements as both a Master's student and a clinical speech-language pathologist. I firmly believe that I will be an asset to the _(school)__ Master's program team, as I offer not only a strong academic skillset, but also a commitment to and a confidence in working with people of all abilities.
